Tire plugger



Dec. s, 1970 c. J. DocTER TIRE PLUGGER Filed April 8, 1968 vom,

R MNQNW RN 1 ...Qu l 1 ,..vl im?,

United States Patent Office U.S. Cl. 81-15.7 4 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to construction and use of a hand tool for inserting a puncture repair plug into a tire casing, from the exterior of the casing, the plug being of T-shape with a cylindrical shank and a relatively wide llat flexible head 'which is foldable toward the shank axis to be inserted into the tool and to be projected from the tool and inserted into the puncture. Separable members are used to shape the plug head and guide the plug while it is being inserted as indicated.

BACKGROUND OF THE 'INVENTION Various tire pluggers have been used for a generally similar purpose. Some include a plunger fed by a manually rotatable threaded tool; some are power actuated by pneumatic pressure; some by other mechanical drive; in some the plug is inserted from the interior of the tire.

SUMMARY OF THLE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to feed a plug of the type described inwardly throughthe casing by a simple manually operated gun-like tool in which the gripping force of the users hand or hands is multiplied and directed in a straight line axially of the tool barrel to thrust the plug, with its head folded forwardly of the plug shank, through a nozzle which is inserted into the tire casing from the exterior of the casing, the head being free to unfold as it emerges from the nozzle so that |withdrawal of the tool seats the plug head against the inner face of the casing and inaton of the tire thrusts the head against the casing with the plug shank filling the hole in the'casing.

The invention comprises a tool with an elongated barrel, open at one end, and including a lever having a fulcrum hinged to the barrel intermediate the ends of the barrel, the lever and the other end of the barrel having handholds for manually actuating the lever about its fulcrum to advance and retract a plunger in the barrel. With the plunger retracted the shank of a plug is inserted in the open end of the barrel and a hollow nozzle of smaller diameter than the barrel is applied to the central part of the plug head to fold the plug head about the nozzle parallel to the shank axis as the plug is moved further into the barrel, the nozzle is then reversed end for end and secured to the open end of the barrel. Then the plunger is advanced through the nozzle which is inserted into the casing and guides the outwardly folded end of the plug head through the casing until the plug head emerges from the nozzle whereupon the head expands so as to seat against the inner face of the casing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is in part a side elevation of the tool and in part a longitudinal section through the tool.

FIG. 2. is a detail longitudinal section through the forward end of the tool showing a plug with its "shank inserted in the tool barrel and with ,its head seated against the end of the barrel.

FIG. 3 is a similar detail section `showing a tooluozzle inserted into the barrel and folding the plug head about the nozzle.

3,545,314 Patented Dec. 8, 1970 FIG. 4 is a similar detail section showing the tool nozzle reversed end for end and secured to the tool barrel by a nut preparatory to inserting the nozzle and plug through a casing puncture. A loose penetrating tip 5 is inserted in the nozzle.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the tool barrel and lever as the plunger `is advanced to feed the plug through the nozzle.

FIG. 6 shows the nozzle body with plug and tool plunger after insertion through a. tire casing.

FIG. 7 shows the plug in functioning position after the tool nozzle has been Withdrawn.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The body of the tool comprises a cylindrical barrel 1 having a discharge opening 2 in its left-hand end, as sho'wn in FIG. 1, and a handhold 3 at the opposite end. A plunger 5 having circumferential grooves 6 near its left-hand end slidably lits in the barrel and is reciprocated axially of the barrel by a lever 7 pivotally connected to the plunger by a pin 9 which extends through lengthwise slots 11 in the barrel. A strut ,13 is hinged to the barrel at 14 near handhold 3 and extends forwardly from its hinge mounting Iwith its swinging end carrying a fulcrum pin 15 for lever 7.

As the lever effort arm 17 is moved counterclockwise from the position Vshown in FIG. 1, the lever IWork arm '.18 advances the plunger and the lever assumes its most effective position (FIG. 5) as handhold 3` and lever effort arm 17 approach each other. A. stop pin 19 limits the movement of the lever.

The plug used with the tool is of T-shape and comprises a cylindrical shank 20, grooved at G, and a attish flexible head Z1. When the plug is produced, its shank is coated with adhesive such as is commonly used in tire patches which dries quickly. Prior to use, a mixture of toluol and a solvent is applied to the plug and it is freely inserted shank-first into barrel 1 (FIG. 2). The mixture activates the adhesive and also acts as a lubricant for the plug and as an air sealant between the barrel and the plunger. A separate nozzle member N (FIG. 2) includes a flared end portion 26 and an elongated cylindrical body 25 which is used as indicated by arrow A to push the plug further into the barrel and in so doing to fold the plug head as shown in FIG. 3. Nozzle N is then withdrawn and reversed end for end and inserted through a separate nozzle nut Z7 (FIG. 4) and the nut is then threaded onto the end portion of the barrel clamping the flaring nozzle end 26 against the end of the barrel. Preferably a hard tip 29 is applied to the outer end of the nozzle and retained therein by friction.

The assembly is then applied to the exterior of tire casing C, and tip 29 and nozzle 25 inserted through the casing. Lever 7 is then rotated on its fulcrum 1'5 until plunger 5 either contacts the inner end of the plug shank or air is compressed between opposing ends of the plunger and shank so that the plug is thrust through the open end of the barrel and into the are 26- in the nozzle and then through the latter (FIG. 6). During this movement the edges of grooves 6 scrape any surplus adhesive from the inner face of the barrel and. distribute it along the latter. As plug head 2 emerges from the nozzle the plug head opens out (FIG. `6) and the nozzle may then be withdrawn and the shoulder between the plug head and shank is iirmly seated against the inner faceof the casing (FIG. 7). If the plug shank projects from the casing it is trimmed oi. This completes the operation.

The puncture has been-` readily repaired without detaching the casing from the rim of the wheel on which it is mounted.

It will be understood the operation may be performed on a casing which is demounted just as readily as on a casing mounted on a wheel rim.

The details of the structure may be varied substantially 'without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

I claim:

1, In a tool for inserting a plug through a tire casing from the exterior thereof, a plug-receiving elongated barrel having a discharge opening at one end and a handhold at its other end, an elongated plunger slidable axially in said barrel to project a plug from the discharge end of the barrel, there being an elongated slot extending lengthwise of the barrel wall intermediate its ends, a pin on said plunger extending transversely thereof through said slot, a lever pivoted on said pin and projecting from the barrel and having a work arm and an effort arm with a handhold at its outer end, a fulcrum for said lever between its handhold and said pivot, and means mounting said fulcrum on the barrel to move to'ward and away from the barrel as the lever is actuated and its work arm moves said plunger and pin along the barrel.

2. A tool as described in claim 1 in which the fulcrum mounting means comprises a strut with one end carrying the fulcrum and its other end hinged to said barrel adjacent to said handhold.

3. A tool as described in claim 1 in which the fulcrum mounting means comprises a strut with one end carrying the fulcrum and its other end hinged to said barrel at a point spaced substantially from said pin.

4. A tool as described in claim 2 in which the barrel has elongated slots in opposite Walls abreast of the plunger, the plunger pin extending through both said slots and being slidable 'with the plunger axially of the barrel and the fulcrum end of the strut swinging transversely of the barrel near the forward end of the slot as the handhold and the elort arm of the lever move relative to each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,083,597 4/1963 Best 81-15.7 3,400,445 9/ 1968 Crandall et al. 81-15.7X

ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner R. V. PARKER, IR., Assistant Examiner 

